Wall wardrobe



Feb. 11, 1969 H. c. ACTON 3,427,035

I WALL WARDROBE Original Filed Oct. 6, 1964 7 Sheet of 2 M 7 L f I INVENTOR. 1; 4 M11 1 a: flci'o/z.

Feb. 11, 1969 H. C. ACTON W LL WARDROBE Sheet Original Filed Oct. 6, 1954 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,427,086 WALL WARDROBE Hugh C. Acton, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to Brunswick Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Original application Oct. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 401,952, now Patent No. 3,346,314, dated Oct. 10, 1967. Divided and this application Aug. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 660,626 US. Cl. 312-245 10 Claims Int. Cl. A47b 61/00; A47f 7/19 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An article of furniture which includes a vertically extending cover panel adapted to be mounted on a wall or similar structure. Means are provided for supporting the panel in a position spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the means includes a channel defining member secured to the wall and a plurality of spaced apart support arms secured to the panel and engageable with the channel defining member for supporting the panel in its vertical position.

Background of the invention The present invention is an improvement of the wallhung wardrobe construction disclosed in the applicants Patent No. 3,126,238, issued Mar. 24, 1964, and is a division of applicants copending application, Ser. No. 401,952 now Patent No. 3,346,314.

Summary of the invention An object of the present invention is to provide a wallhung wardrobe that may be easily assembled and disassembled to facilitate the storage, transportation and relocation thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall-hung wardrobe which may be readily dismounted or removed from the wall.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a wall-hung wardrobe of the above character which includes a channel member secured to the wall and a plurality of spaced apart support arms secured to the panel and engageable with the channel member for supporting the wall in a vertically extending position spaced from and substantially parallel with the wall.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed descrip tion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of the drawings FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of a preferred form of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top elevational view of the wardrobe structure illustrate din FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top elevational view similar to FIG. 2, of a modified form of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 4, as seen in the direction of the arrow 5 thereof;

FIG. 6 is an elevated perspective view of another modified form of the wall-hung'wardrobe embodying the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a top elevational view of the wardrobe structure illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an elevated perspective view of yet another modified form of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention;

3,427,086 Patented Feb. 11, 1969 FIG. 9 is an elevated perspective view of yet a further modified form of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention, portions of this structure being broken away for the sake of space saving and clarity;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of still a further modified form of the wall-hung wardrobe embodying the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a top elevational view of the Wardrobe structure illustrated in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is an elevated perspective view of still another modified form of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention.

Detailed description of the invention Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings, a wall-hung wardrobe 10, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, comprises a rigid, vertically extending front or cover panel 12 that is cantilever mounted spaced from and substantially parallel to a Wall or a similar support structure, representatively designated by the numeral 14. The panel 12 may be of virtually any suitable material, such as wood, Masonite, Fonmica, veneered fiberboard, plastic, or the like, that is substantially planar in form and will serve to enhance and/or complement the decor of the room in which the wardrobe 10 is mounted. The panel 12 is rigidly secured to the wall 14 by means of a horizontally extending rack or shelf assembly 16 that projects between the upper end of the panel 12 and the wall 14 and comprises a pair of spaced parallel support bars or arms 18 and 20 that are secured at their outer ends by suitable screws, bolts or the like, and conventional mounting flanges 22 and 24, respectively, to the upper end of the side of the panel 12 confronting the wall 14. The shelf assembly 16, together with each of the hereinafter to be described shelf members which serve to support clothes, luggage and the like within the various forms of the wall-hung wardrobe embodying the present invention, is preferably fabricated of stainless steel, a chrome plated steel, enamelled steel, or some other ornamental metal such as extruded or cast aluminum. The ends of the arms 18 and 20 opposite those which are secured to the cover panel 12 are formed with downwardly extending shoulder or flange portions 26 and 28, respectively, which are adapted to engage or be hooked within a horizontally extending rail or channel member 30 that is rigidly secured, as by suitable screws, bolts or the like, to the wall 14, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. A plurality of spaced parallel support bars, generally designated 32, extend between and are rigidly secured at their opposite ends to the arms 18 and 20. The bars 32 define a support surface upon which luggage, clothes and the like may be stored while being substantially concealed from view by the panel 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a pair of horizontally extending spacer members or arms 34 and 36 extend between the lower end of the panel 12 and the wall 14, which arms function to space the lower end of the panel 12 away from the wall 14 and thereby maintain the panel 12 spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall 14. The arms 34 and 36 are secured at one end to the panel 12 as by suitable screws and conventional mounting flanges, the opposite ends of the arms 34 and 36 being biased toward and maintained in engagement with the wall 14 by only the weight of the panel 12. It may be noted that a plurality of horizontally extending support bars or the like may be provided between and be secured at their opposite ends to the spacer arms 34 and 36, thereby forming a support shelf or rack similar to that provided by the afore-discussed rack assembly 16.

It will be seen from the structure thus described, that the panel 12, together with the rack assembly 16 and spacer arms 34 and 36, is secured to the wall 14 merely by having the outer ends of the support arms 18 and 20 hooked within the channel member 30, the lower end of the panel 12 being held against the wall 14 under the influence of gravity. Accordingly, the entire wardrobe structure may be conveniently dismounted or re moved from the wall 14 for cleaning, storage, or the like by merely lifting or elevating the panel 12 and rack assembly 16 sufiicient to disengage the flange portions 26 and 28 of the support arms 18 and 20 from the channel member 30, it being apparent, of course, that the wardrobe 10 may be remounted on the wall 14 by merely reversing this operation.

It may be noted that since the panel 12 is wallhung, a free passage is provided beneath the wardrobe 10 due to the elimination of all supporting legs, braces, etc., thereby facilitating dusting, cleaning and the like of the floor subjacent this unit.

In a slightly modified form of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cover panel 12 may be secured to the wall 14 by engaging or hooking the flange portions 26 and 28 of the rack assemblys support arms 18 and 20 within a pair of horizontally spaced brackets 38 and 40 that are rigidly secured as by screws, bolts or the like, to the wall 14. As best seen in FIG. 5, the brackets 38 and 40 are substantially identical in cross section to the afore-discussed channel member 30 and thereby permit the wardrobe 10 to be dismounted or removed from the wall 14, as above described.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, in another modified form of the present invention, the wall wardrobe 10 includes a vertically extending side panel 42 which is of the same height as the cover panel 12 and lies along a plane extending perpendicular thereto. The side panel 42 is attached along its outer edge to one vertically extending edge of the cover panel 12, and is secured along its opposite edge to the wall or similar support structure 14 by a vertically extending angle iron member 44 which is secured to the wall 14 and the side panel 42 as by conventional screws or the like, whereby the cover panel 12 is cantilever mounted in a spaced parallel relation with the wall 14, as seen in FIG. 7.

A pair of vertically spaced shelf members 46 and 48 project horizontally between the cover panel 12 and the wall 14, each of which comprises a pair of spaced parallel support rails 50 and 52 between which extend a plurality of spaced parallel support bars, generally designated 54. The shelf members 46 and 48 are secured between the cover panel 12 and the wall 14 by a plurality of conventional support clips or brackets 56, two of which secure each of the shelf members 46 and 48 to the wall 14 and another two of which secure the members 46 and 48 to the panel 12.

Referring now to FIG. 8, in yet another embodiment of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention, the cover panel 12 is secured to the wall or similar structure 14 by means of a rectangularly configured frame member, generally designated 58, that extends horizontally between the upper end of the panel 12 and the wall 14. The frame member 58 comprises a pair of spaced side portions 60 and 62 that are respectively secured, as by conventional screws, bolts or the like, to the wall 14 and to the upper end of the panel 12, whereby the panel 12 is cantilever mounted on the wall 14 in a manner similar to which it is supported by the rack assembly 16 in the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3. It will be noted that the frame member 58 may be provided with a plurality or horizontally extending bars or the like 63 and thereby serve as a shelf member for supporting clothes, luggage and the like, behind the cover panel 12, as above described.

A pair of spacer arms, generally designated 64 and one of which is illustrated in FIG. 8, extended between the lower end of the panel 12 and the wall 14 and function to maintain the lower end of the panel 12 spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall 14 in a manner identical to the afore-discussed arms 34 and 36. The

arms '64 are rigidly secured to the lower end of the panel 12 by conventional mounting flanges 65 and may, if desired, be interconnected by a plurality of horizontally extending support bars, herein designated 66, thereby forming a support rack or shelf between the lower end of the panel 12 and the wall 14.

FIG. 9 illustrates still another form of the present invention wherein the cover panel 12 is secured to the wall or similar support structure 14 by means of a vertically extending and rectangularly configured frame member 68 that projects between the panel 12 and the wall 14 adjacent one side edge of the panel 12. The frame member 68 comprises a pair of spaced side portions 70 and 72, respectively, secured as by screws or the like to the wall 14 and to the side of the panel 12 facing the wall 14, whereby the panel 12 is cantilever mounted spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall 14.

A pair of vertically spaced and horizontally extending spacer members 74 and 76 project between the panel 12 and the wall 14, these members being rigidly secured to the side of the panel 12 facing the wall 14 by suitable screws and conventional mounting flanges 78 and 80. The spacer arms 74 and 76 are preferably arranged so as to lie in the same horizontal planes as the upper and lower end portions, herein designated '82 and 84, respectively, of the frame member 68, whereby it is possible to provide a plurality of horizontally extending support bars, generally designated 86, between the end portions 82, 84 and the spacer members 74, 76, respectively, to form a pair of vertically spaced racks or shelves between the panel 12 and the wall 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, in yet another form of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention, the cover panel 12 is secured to the wall or similar structure 14 by a rack or shelf assembly, generally designated 88, that extends horizontally between the upper end of the panel 12 and the wall 14. The rack assembly 88 includes a generally C-shaped frame member 90 comprising side portions 92 and 94 that are interconnected by a medial portion 96. The outer ends of the frame members side portions 92 and 94 are formed with downwardly extending support sections 98, as seen in FIG. 10, which are adapted to be rigidly secured to the wall 14 as by suitable screws or the like. A plurality of support bars, generally designated 100, extend between and are rigidly secured at their opposite ends to the side portions 92 and 94 of the frame member 90, thereby providing a horizontally extending shelf between the cover panel 12 and the wall 14.

A pair of spaced apart J-shaped hooks or brackets 102 are secured to the upper end of the side of the panel 12 facing the wall 14 and are adapted to be hooked over or engaged with the medial portion 96 of the frame member 90, thereby securing the panel 12 to the rack assem bly 88. A pair of spacer arms 104 and 106 extend between the lower end of the panel 12 and the wall 14, and function to space the lower end of the panel 12 from the wall 14 and thereby maintain the panel 12 in a substantially parallel relationship with respect to the wall 14. The spacer arms 104 and 106, while preferably being secured at one end to the panel 12 as by suitable mounting flanges, may or may not be rigidly aflixed to the wall 14, depending on Whether or not it is desired to removably or permanently secure the panel 12 to the wall 14.

Referring again to FIG. 8, a horizontally extending coat hanger rod 108 may be provided between and rigidly secured at its opposite ends as by suitable mounting flanges 110 and 112 to the panel 12 and the wall 14, respectively, thereby permitting coats and the like to be hung upon conventional coat hangers behind the panel 12. It will be apparent, of course, that such a rod may be incorporated in each of the various forms or embodiments of the wall-hung wardrobe described herein, and also that such a rod might be incorporated as an integral member in any of the above-described shelf or shelf support frame members, such as the frame member 58 illustrated in FIG. 8 or the member 90 illustrated in FIG. 11.

Referring now to FIG. 12, in still another form of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention, the cover panel 12 is secured to the wall or similar structure 14 by means of a rectangularly configured frame member 114 that projects horizontally between the lower end of the panel 12 and the wall 14 and is rigidly secured to the panel 12 with suitable screws, bolts, or the like. The side of the frame member 114 opposite that which is secured to the panel 12 is attached to the wall 14 by being disposed and supported within a pair of horizontally spaced U-shaped brackets, generally designated 116, that are rigidly secured to the wall 14 by means of suitable screws, bolts, and the like.

Extending horizontally between the upper end of the panel 12 and the wall 14 is a flat elongated rack or shelf member, generally designated by the numeral 118 and comprising a pair of spaced apart support arms 120 and 122 that are secured to the side of the panel 12 facing the wall 14 by conventional mounting flanges and suitable screws or the like. A pair of horizontally spaced retaining brackets, generally designated 124, are pivotally or rotatably secured to the wall 14 and are adapted to selectively engage the side edge of the shelf member 118 adjacent the Wall 14. It may be noted that the brackets 124 do not actually function to support the panel 12 on the wall 14, but instead merely serve to prevent the upper end of the panel 12 from swinging away from the wall 14 under the influence of gravity. It will be seen that the panel 12 is detachably secured to the wall 14 and may be readily dismounted or removed therefrom by appropriately pivoting or rotating the brackets 124 out of engagement with the shelf member 118 and lifting the panel 12 sufficiently to disengage the frame member 114 from the U-shaped brackets 116, it being apparent that the panel 12 may be conveniently remounted on the wall 14 by merely reversing this operation.

It will be readily apparent from each of the aforegoing embodiments of the wall-hung wardrobe of the present invention, that the cover panel 12 serves to substantially conceal the various rack or shelf assemblies which project between the panel 12 and the wall or similar support structure 14, and that these rack or shelf assemblies, with the exception of the wardrobe structure illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, are readily accessible from either side of the cover panel 12. It will also be apparent that each of the aforegoing constructions of the present invention may serve to contain and effectively conceal a substantial quantity of hanger supported clothing, luggage, or the like, and thereby may be used in lieu of or to complement conventional type storage closets, one particular feature of the hereinabove described wardrobe constructions over such conventional storage closets being the extreme simplicity of construction and the corresponding ease of assembly and disassembly thereof. This feature is provided by the fact that each of the various above-described forms of the wall-hung wardrobe embodying the present invention is supported on its associated wall or similar support structure along a single axis, thereby minimizing to the extreme, the requisite number of support members and corresponding complexities of construction and installation of these wardrobes While it will be apparent that the various hereinbeforedescribed embodiments are well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the wallhung wardrobe construction of the present invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In an article of furniture comprising a substantially vertically extending cover panel adapted to be mounted on a Wall or similar structure, means for supporting said panel in a position spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall including a channel defining member secured to the wall, and a plurality of spaced apart support arms secured to said panel and engageable with said channel defining member to disengageably support said panel in said position and provide for ready dismounting or removal of the panel from the wall.

2. An article of furniture as set forth in claim 1 wherein said channel defining member extends horizontally along said wall.

3. An article of furniture as set forth in claim 2 wherein said channel defining member is secured to the wall adjacent the upper end of said panel.

4. An article of furniture as set forth in claim 1 including shelf means disposed between said panel and the wall and being at least partially supported by said arms.

5. An article of furniture as set forth in claim 1 wherein said channel defining member is secured to the wall adjacent the lower end of said panel and including means for preventing the upper end of said panel from swinging away from the wall under the influence of gravity.

6. In an article of furniture comprising a substantially vertically extending cover panel adapted to be mounted on a wall or similar structure, means for supporting said panel in a position spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall including a pair of spaced apart mounting brackets secured to the wall adjacent the upper end of said panel, and support means secured to said panel and engageable with said mounting brackets to disengageably support said panel in said position and provide fornready dismounting or removal of the panel from the wa 7. An article of furniture as set forth in claim 6 wherein said spaced apart mounting brackets are horizontally aligned. 8. An article of furniture as set forth in claim 6 wherein said support means includes a shelf member extending between the panel and the wall and engageable with said mounting brackets to support said panel.

9. An article of furniture as set forth in claim 6 wherein said mounting brackets are secured to the wall adacent the lower end of said panel and including means for preventing the upper end of said panel from swinging away from the Wall under the influence of gravity.

10. An article of furniture comprising a substantially vertically extending cover panel adapted to be mounted on a wall or similar structure, and means between the panel and the Wall including a first portion secured to one of said panel or said wall for supporting said panel in a position spaced from and substantially parallel to the wall and a second portion secured to the other of said panel or said wall and engageable with said first portion to disengageably support said panel in said position and provide for ready dismounting or removal of the panel from the Wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,520,506 8/1950 Mankki 312-245 X 2,999,599 9/ 1961 Ientzen 211- 3,126,238 3/1964 Acton 312-245 3,300,263 1/1967 Acton 312-245 3,346,314 10/1967 Acton 312-245 3,351,403 11/1967 Magnuson 312-238 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

